Deutsche Boerse’s Clearstream to Launch BTC and ETH Custody for Institutions: Report

Deutsche Boerse’s post-trade unit, Clearstream, announced that it will introduce crypto custody and settlement services for institutional clients later this year.

The services will be provided through its majority-owned subsidiary, Crypto Finance, which will act as a sub-custodian.

Clearstream’s Offering

According to a Bloomberg report, Clearstream will offer custody services for Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) to its 2,500 clients starting next month. The company also plans to introduce support for other cryptocurrencies and expand its offerings to include staking, lending, and brokerage capabilities.

“With this offering, we are creating a one-stop shop around custody, brokerage, and settlement,” said Jens Hachmeister, head of issuer services and new digital markets at the firm. He also stated that the move would allow it to provide services for assets such as stablecoins and tokenized securities in the future.

According to Crypto Finance CEO Stijn Vander Straeten, the organization began planning this service roughly a year ago. The executive added that the strategy would enable banks and large institutions to adopt digital assets more quickly by using familiar technology and compliance tools.

Clearstream is one of Europe’s largest clearing houses, with approximately $21.7 billion in assets under management (AUM) as of January this year. Clients of the company’s central securities depository will be able to access crypto custody and settlement services using their existing accounts with Clearstream Banking SA.

Growing Demand Under MiCA

Traditional financial institutions have been increasing their presence in digital assets in response to regulatory clarity in regions such as the European Union (EU), Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Vander Straeten stated that demand from international banking clients has been “very high” since the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) took effect on December 30, 2024. He noted that management firms at these institutions often spend as much as €5 million to build and maintain internal crypto teams. “Here is a chance to have that at zero additional cost,” he said.

The latest offering follows a recent milestone in Germany, where Boerse Stuttgart Digital Custody became the first crypto asset service provider in the country to obtain a full MiCA authorization. Under the Europe-wide license, the organization is now a regulated infrastructure provider for banks, brokers, and asset managers.

Meanwhile, Spanish bank BBVA SA received regulatory approval on Monday to launch crypto trading services for retail clients. The financial institution plans to initially provide trading services for BTC and ETH through its mobile banking app, with a phased rollout starting with a select group of customers before expanding nationwide.